"The Pursuit of Passion" begins with a scene between Mia Turner and Ethan Blue, where Mia prepares to leave after a casual romantic encounter. Their conversation reveals a complicated relationship, with hints of deeper feelings despite their agreement to keep things purely physical. The story then shifts to a half-year later, where Mia is seen working in a corporate setting. She is invited to a dinner by her superior, Lauren Bright, and there's a mention of a training organization called Zhihui, indicating potential business dealings......
"Let's be together."
Mia Turner sat up in bed, bent over to pick up her skirt from the floor, and as she was about to slip it on, she heard the man's gentle voice behind her.
Her hand paused while holding the skirt, and she chuckled softly, turning back to look at the man leaning against the headboard: "Didn't we agree to keep it physical without involving our hearts?"
Ethan Blue lifted his lips slightly, his expression somewhat self-mocking: "I accidentally went too far."
He watched as Mia stood up and began putting on her skirt before him.
Her body still bore the various marks he had left moments ago.
After getting dressed, Mia ran her fingers through her blue-black, slightly curly hair that reached her waist, shining under the light. Then she turned to stare at Ethan: "Then you were too careless."
She bent over to pick up her handbag from the bedside table, preparing to leave.
Ethan leaned forward to grab Mia's wrist-the white sheets loosely draped over him, revealing glimpses of his well-defined, perfectly sculpted abs.
His brows furrowed slightly: "What kind of response is that?"
Mia glanced at the wrist she held in his grip, then raised her eyes to meet his slightly displeased look and gently smiled: "Aren't you smart enough to understand?"
As expected, a hint of anger began to emerge in Ethan's eyes.
She pulled her wrist free from his grip, took a few steps back indifferently, and declared: "From today onwards, our relationship ends here, and we shall not meet again in this martial world."
---
Half a year later.
"Mia, there's a dinner party tonight. Come with me."
After the meeting, Mia was packing up to leave the conference room when her boss, Lauren Bright, approached her.
Mia was used to sudden dinner invitations, having attended many with Lauren.
Holding her documents, Mia smiled and nodded at Lauren: "Okay."
"Come to my office after work, and we'll go together."
"No problem."
Lauren patted Mia's shoulder with a smile and walked out of the conference room ahead of her.
Watching Lauren's figure disappear at the door, Mia sighed heavily and took out her phone to return a call to Eleanor Turner.
As soon as the call connected, Eleanor started talking non-stop.
"Mia, I'm about to go shopping for groceries. What would you like for dinner?"
"Braised pork, sour fish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, chive pancakes, clams?"
"Do you want pork belly? If you'd like, I can buy some to fry later."
"Or would you prefer salt-baked chicken or pineapple duck?"
Hearing Eleanor list her favourite dishes, Mia felt a tight grip around her throat, unable to speak from discomfort.
"I made your favourite sugar sponge cake this morning but accidentally added too much sugar. It's a bit too sweet."
"Mom..."
Eleanor sat at the doorway, changing shoes with the phone on speaker beside her.
"What's wrong, Mia?"
Mia held the phone, took a deep breath, and apologized: "Sorry, Mom, I have a sudden work engagement and can't come home for dinner."
When she heard Mia's words, Eleanor was about to put her slippers away. The smile on her lips froze, and her eyes instantly filled with loneliness.
Silence fell on both ends of the call.
After a while, Eleanor picked up the phone, turned off the speaker, and said: "Work is important. You're at a critical stage in your career. I understand. As for dinner, you can come back anytime."
It's not the same.
Mia thought to herself.
Her mother lived in the suburbs of Luking City, quite far from the city centre. Since Mia's commute was inconvenient, she bought a two-bedroom flat near her office with her savings and a loan. She wanted her mother to move in with her, but her mother was used to living there and didn't want to leave her neighbours.
Mia would return to her mother's place for dinner every Friday night and stay over. They agreed she would make it up later if there were any particular circumstances.
Thinking of her mother's current sad state, Mia felt a heavy pain in her heart.
"Mom..."
"It's okay, you don't need to come back, and I won't be bothered. I'm off to dance with Mrs. Chen and others. Focus on your Work; I won't disturb you," Eleanor said, hanging up without waiting for Mia's response.
Eleanor looked at her shoes, sadness in her eyes. She turned to glance at the empty, silent house, feeling even more disheartened. With a sigh, she decided to leave the house.
Mia held the phone, unable to recover for a long time. The thought of her mother alone made her feel even more suffocated.
But her Work didn't allow for much delay in personal matters. Remembering Lauren's assigned tasks at the meeting, Mia quickly returned to her workstation.
Before long, it was time to leave Work. Mia organized the afternoon's Work and sent a summary email to Lauren's inbox.
She shut down her computer, stood up, and knocked on Lauren's office door: "Sis."
"Come in."
Entering, Mia saw Lauren applying lipstick in front of a full-length mirror. Satisfied with the result, she twisted the lipstick closed and tossed it into her bag.
"The person we're dining with tonight is the owner of Wisdom Training Institute. They're planning to open another branch in S city, and the Luking City branch is looking to change its office furniture, so there's a big demand. I hope you can secure this deal. You can't drop the ball tonight," Lauren said, walking beside Mia.
Wisdom Training Institute was unfamiliar to Mia, who usually handled school and private company deals and rarely institutional ones.
"How many people are coming?"
"Just two, the boss and his assistant."
"What's his personality like?" Mia followed Lauren out, closing the door behind her.
"I've only met Mr. Blue a few times, but he left a good impression. He's polite, refined, and gentle," Lauren paused, then turned to Mia with a suggestive smile, "He's very handsome and, importantly, still single."
Mia disliked Lauren's teasing smile, which made her skin crawl.
She rubbed her arms: "Sis, can we have a serious conversation?"
"You're not getting any younger. You should find a man," Lauren said with a motherly tone.
"Shouldn't you be more worried about that than me?" Mia glanced at Lauren.
"I'm not planning on marrying. You know that. But you don't seem to have any intention of staying single."
"Let's leave love to fate. Right now, I want to focus on Work."
Mia had recently received a message in the store manager's group chat that the headquarters was planning to promote Lauren to the city marketing director in Luking City. If the news were accurate, Lauren's current position would be vacant.
Based on the company's usual practices, they would likely promote
one of the store managers to Lauren's position.
Lauren managed ten stores, meaning ten managers were vying for the position.
It wouldn't be easy for Mia to stand out among them.
Lacey, captivated by the charismatic live streamer Jax, becomes a regular in his virtual world, showering him with gifts and admiration. Her brother Rick, a self-made millionaire, disapproves, urging her to focus on real-life connections. Despite this, Lacey's infatuation grows, leading to a surprise encounter with Jax at her university's cultural festival, where her stunning dance performance catches his attention. Rick unknowingly brings Jax home for a business collaboration, igniting a spark between Lacey and Jax. As their paths intertwine, Lacey navigates her feelings amid the contrasting worlds of online allure and familial responsibilities, finding herself drawn to the enigmatic Jax while grappling with the realities of her brother's protective love.
The novel "You Are the Cinnabar in My Heart" is a riveting drama about James Carter, Emma Wilson, Lily, and Mark Johnson. James, misled by Emma, believes Lily is unfaithful to Mark. The story unravels a web of jealousy, betrayal, and manipulation, with Emma orchestrating events to win James and sabotage Lily. The plot thickens as Lily's amnesia, caused by a traumatic event linked to Emma, starts to fade, revealing the truth behind the misconceptions. Emma's schemes are exposed in a climactic confrontation, leading to a violent clash where Lily is hurt. Ultimately, James and Lily reconcile, learning the importance of trust and communication, while Emma faces the consequences of her actions, offering a poignant lesson in love, trust, and redemption.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
22-year-old Evelyn Carter is attempting to start over in California while avoiding her past. She will be embarking on a new career path as a private school teacher. She is smart, attractive, and doesn't put up with nonsense. Who wouldn't notice her? However, what happens when she attracts the attention of someone unwilling to let her go? Who wants her and nothing else after falling in love at first sight? A 25-year-old billionaire CEO and single father, Lucian Carrington. He takes what he wants and he is also a very dangerous man. All it needed was one look at a stunning woman to realize she was HIS, even though he doesn't believe in relationships because they always end. Preview: Miss Carter, you will be mine. I say firmly. "Release my arm, Mr. Carrington, before I force you to." She says, seeming to smile at me. I give her a sly smile. Squeezing my wrist with her other hand, she twists it uncomfortably. I gave a painful hiss. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Carrington." "This is the only time I will allow you to walk away from me, Miss Carter." She glared at me as she turned. "Mr. Carrington, I am no possession of yours." I was left standing there when she opened the classroom door and left.
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."